Child, Family, and School Social Worker Salary Information in California

The average annual salaries for child, family, and school social workers in the state of California are shown in Table 1. The comparison of the salary statistics of child, family, and school social workers among California metropolitan areas is shown in Table 2. The salary statistics are based on the national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2022 and published in April 2023 [1].

Table 1 & 2. Annual Salary of Child, Family, and School Social Workers in California (2022 Survey)

Percentile bracketAverage annual salary
10th Percentile Wage
$39,700
25th Percentile Wage
$47,950
50th Percentile Wage
$62,610
75th Percentile Wage
$79,530
90th Percentile Wage
$103,180

Table 1 shows the average annual salary for child, family, and school social workers in California in 5 percentile scales. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is $103,180. The median (50th percentile) annual salary is $62,610. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $39,700.

Median salary trend (2012 to 2022)

The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of child, family, and school social workers from 2012 to 2022.

YearMedian SalaryYearly Growth10-Year Growth
2022
$62,610
2.27% 24.20%
2021
$61,190
14.30% -
2020
$52,440
-5.55% -
2019
$55,350
-0.20% -
2018
$55,460
7.19% -
2017
$51,470
4.10% -
2016
$49,360
3.91% -
2015
$47,430
-1.58% -
2014
$48,180
2.78% -
2013
$46,840
-1.32% -
2012
$47,460
- -

Table 3. Median Annual Salary of Child, Family, and School Social Workers in California Cities (2022 Survey)

Table 3 shows the median annual salary of child, family, and school social workers in some California cities and metropolitan areas. We note that the median annual salary of child, family, and school social workers in state of California ranges from $35,630 to $80,690. The highest paying area for child, family, and school social workers in California is Santa Cruz-Watsonville with a median annual salary of $80,690. The second highest paying city/area in California State is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (mean annual salary $77,260). The lowest paying area is North Valley Region of California nonmetropolitan area with a median annual salary of $35,630.

Cities/Areas Median Annual Salary
Santa Cruz-Watsonville
$80,690
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara
$77,260
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville
$65,560
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
$65,250
Napa
$65,040
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont
$62,730
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos
$62,390
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$62,080
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario
$61,550
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura
$61,500
Stockton
$61,130
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale
$57,500
Vallejo-Fairfield
$57,050
Redding
$56,750
Salinas
$56,710
Fresno
$56,160
Yuba City
$54,830
Chico
$51,950
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles
$50,810
Oakland-Fremont-Hayward
$50,480
El Centro
$50,100
Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$50,050
North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$49,930
Santa Rosa-Petaluma
$49,820
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$49,460
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara
$49,360
Bakersfield-Delano
$49,070
Modesto
$48,990
Madera-Chowchilla
$48,570
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City
$48,400
Merced
$47,950
Hanford-Corcoran
$47,280
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana
$47,010
Eastern Sierra Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$46,340
Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta
$46,180
Visalia-Porterville
$45,700
Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine
$41,160
Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$36,610
North Valley Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$35,630